The morning Zelda was scheduled to depart for Termina, a small town to the north, Link arrived at the castle and was escorted to a small meeting room. It was the same room that Zelda and Malon had conversed in. Zelda sat in velvet burgundy armchair by the fireplace. Her face was serious and pale. Link could tell something was wrong, but she was so beautiful and sad that he instinctively reached out to hold her in his arms. Zelda raised her hand to stop him, and motioned for him to sit down. She nodded at the guard at the doorway, signaling him to leave.

After a brief silence, Link asked, "Are you alright?"

Zelda's eyes were shining with tears. Link felt his heart leap into his mouth. Something was wrong. "I...I'm pregnant," she said, trying to be strong, but she was fighting her tears.

Link's mouth fell open in shock. "What?" he breathed.

"I'm pregnant," Zelda said again, trying to get used to uttering those words. "I'm pregnant, and I'm leaving Hyrule to have our baby."

Link's eyes were huge, and suddenly his face was pale as hers. "You are sure it's mine?"

The princess's eyes narrowed. "You are the only man I've been with," she said, a hint of anger in her normally stable voice. She turned her face from him, trying not to reveal weakness.

Link bent and put his face in his hands, and Zelda thought he was sobbing. When he lifted his head, he asked, "What am I supposed to do? Am I to go with you?"

Zelda forced a smile, but it was a fake smile, and she seemed to be laughing at this idea. "No," she said. "I will do this myself. I just thought you should know. You deserve to know. Just know that we may never even speak to our child, or lay eyes on him or her. She will be fostered away from Hyrule."

Link nodded. "It is for the best, I suppose," he said, but his voice was unsure. He looked at her. "I'm so sorry, Zelda. I seem to making too many mistakes lately. I am at a loss as to how I can make it up to everyone I've wronged: you, our unborn child..."

"Think not of me," Zelda said quietly. "Think of your wife."

Link sighed and nodded. "You are so righteous and good, my lady. I do not know if I can ever measure up to you. You know, people always say I am a hero because I saved Hyrule. I cannot even understand myself, because I have no trouble going to any lengths to save people I don't even know, but I cannot be good to the people close to me."

Zelda shrugged. "I don't think so," she said simply. "You are a good man. We just made a mistake, and we will both pay for it in our ways. Myself, I must give up my baby. I will be the mother, but this child may pass me on the street one day and we will not recognize one another. A mother loves her child as soon as she lays eyes on him, and I must give that love up. And should I never produce an heir to the throne when I am married..." She let her voice trail off.

The Hero of Time's face was thoughtful. "A child of ours must have a future that is not completely normal. Something will happen, and something tells me that this is not the last time we will discuss our child. We cannot speak of it this once and forget about it."

"I had a feeling," Zelda said. "But for now we can't do anything." She sighed. "I suppose this is good-bye, at least for awhile." She stood up. She felt unsure of how to say good-bye to him. A year ago, they would have embraced quickly, as good friends. Now, he was her lover. She was the woman he had cheated on his wife with. It didn't help that Zelda knew how Malon admired her and valued her friendship with the princess. "It is up to you whether to tell Malon or not," she said, trying to look Link in the eye.

Link nodded slightly. "I am not sure if I will or not," he said.

The young princess nodded as well. "I'll see you in seven months, then. Wish me luck."

He smiled. "Good luck, Princess." He took her hand and kissed it. "I will always love you, Zelda. And I will always feel as though I made a mistake."

Zelda's expression was excruciatingly sad. "And what mistake was that?" she whispered.

Link took her in his arms and kissed her on the mouth. When he pulled away, he said, "The mistake of not trying harder to get you to be mine."

He stroked her cheek one last time, and left the room. Zelda sighed, feeling tears sting her eyes for what felt like the millionth time in twenty-four hours. But when Impa came in and announced that it was time to leave, the princess got to her feet and walked smoothly outside. She said farewell to her father and her other family members that resided in the castle, and to her servants and serving men and women as well. Then Impa helped her into the carriage, as the horses whinnied.

The journey to the land of Termina wasn't as difficult as Zelda had anticipated. The driver, Edward, was kind and made jokes to lighten the mood. Zelda knew he was sure to wonder why the princess was so melancholy about leaving Hyrule after expressing wishes to leave ever since she was a child, but neither Zelda nor Impa offered any answers. When they stopped that night to rest, with Edward assuring them that if they left early the next morning, they would reach Termina before midday, Zelda settled inside her tent with Impa next to her. They laid back to back, and neither said a word until Zelda murmured, "You knew this would happen, didn't you?"

Impa didn't reply at first. "I don't know, Zelda."

"Yes you do," said the princess stubbornly. "You knew all along that it would not be me Link married. You knew that I would wind up pregnant with his child, but you did nothing to stop it. You did nothing to help anyone. What's the use of having the power if you aren't going to use it, or worse yet, use it to help people, to help stop events that aren't beneficial to anyone?"

"Zelda, just because I can know the future does not mean I can stop it!" Impa scolded. "You are acting like a child. Now is not the time. In a very short time, you must grow up and be an adult. This child may not be yours in the long run, you may never look on its face, but you will still be the mother. And for that reason you must be mature. You are the future queen of Hyrule."

After a long moment of silence, Zelda said, "Not if I can find a sorceress to rid me of it."

"No!" Impa shouted, and Zelda recoiled in fear, for Impa rarely yelled. "You cannot! You can do many things, Zelda, but that is the one thing you cannot do!"

"Aha!" Zelda said, sitting up excitedly. "You do know something, and as future queen of Hyrule, I demand you tell me what it is!"

"Not now," Impa said, avoiding eye contact and laying down again. "In time, you will know everything, my lady. I can assure you of that. But for now, I'm afraid you must remain ignorant. Focus on your health, focus on giving birth to healthy baby. Now you must sleep. You are sleeping for two now."

Zelda sighed, irritated at not knowing what was truly going on, and laid down on her back. At first she thought sleep would never come, but then she realized she was exhausted, and she let her eyes close at last.

Zelda awoke in the middle of the night because she thought she heard voices. She lifted her head sleepily, hearing murmuring from behind the curtain of the tent. She also saw that Impa was no longer at her side. She inched closer to the opening of the tent and listened.

"She has no idea," Impa was saying. "I cannot tell her. Not yet. It is too much. If I was pregnant with a married man's child, I wouldn't want to know that this child would ultimately turn on me."

Zelda frowned. What was Impa talking about?

"No," said a man's voice, and Zelda realized it was Rauru, Sage of Light. She lit up, and her first instinct was to rush outside the tent and greet him: he had been like another father to her. But she held back; she was too curious. "It is best for now. But what of the Hero of Time?"

"Best for him never to see his child until he must, though I foresee him confronting the princess about it later. And chances are strong that Zelda will not produce another heir, even when she marries."

Zelda's heart started to beat faster. She would never have another child? The fate of Hyrule rested on this baby. She was confused, but she continued to listen.

"Will it be Link she marries in the end?" Rauru asked.

"No," Impa said with a sigh. "Someone else. I know not who." She paused. "I sense the princess is waking. You must go. Thank you for coming, my brother. Good evening."

Zelda was shocked at what she'd heard. Her child would rebel against her, yet this child was to be the heir of Hyrule. Was was that possible? Zelda's mind was racing, but she heard Impa's footsteps on the grass and she quickly laid back down and shut her eyes, pretending to be asleep. She heard Impa lay down too, with a sigh, and she relaxed again, letting her mind wander, trying to figure everything out. Eventually, though, sleep overcame her before she came up with a plan.